Accessing Your Website Error Logs

Accessing Your Website Error Logs

Error logs record problems that occur on your website, including PHP errors, failed database connections, and plugin issues. When something goes wrong on your site, the error log is often the fastest way to identify the cause.

Accessing Logs via File Manager or SFTP

KPanel does not have a dedicated Logs tab. Log files are stored on the server and can be accessed via the File Manager or SFTP.

Using the File Manager:

1. Log in to KPanel at kpanel.kapsulecloud.com
2. Go to Websites and select the affected site
3. Click Files → File Manager
4. Navigate to the logs/ directory in your site root

Using SFTP:

1. Go to Files → SFTP in KPanel for your site's connection details
2. Connect with FileZilla or your preferred SFTP client
3. Navigate to the logs/ directory in your site root

The logs/ directory contains:

• PHP error log, errors generated by PHP code (the most commonly needed log)
• Access log, a record of all HTTP requests to your site
• Error log, server-level errors (500, 502, etc.)

Reading a PHP Error Log

A typical PHP error log entry looks like:

[03-Jun-2026 14:32:11 UTC] PHP Fatal error: Call to undefined function get_header() in /var/www/sites/yourdomain/public_html/wp-content/themes/mytheme/page.php on line 8

This tells you the date and time, the error type, a description of the problem, and the file path and line number where the error occurred.

Common Error Types

Enabling WordPress Debug Mode

For WordPress sites, enabling debug mode outputs more detailed error information:

1. Connect via SFTP or use the File Manager in KPanel
2. Open wp-config.php in the WordPress root
3. Add or update these lines:

define( 'WP_DEBUG', true );
define( 'WP_DEBUG_LOG', true );
define( 'WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', false );

Errors will be written to wp-content/debug.log rather than displayed on-screen.